Background on the News - 2006-06-28

Whomever Mexicans vote for in Sunday's presidential election, the man they choose could become either a statesman who consolidates the country's democracy or a demagogue who returns the country to an era of crises. In the January/February 2006 issue of Foreign Affairs, noted Mexican writer Enrique Krauze described the candidates and the issues that will determine Mexico's future course.

• Full text of original essay (January/February 2006)

In the Current Issue of Foreign Affairs

The complete text of selected essays and of all the book reviews from the July/August issue can be found on the Foreign Affairs Web site. Currently the following essays are available in their full text:

What to Do in Iraq: A Roundtable

by Larry Diamond, James Dobbins, Chaim Kaufmann, Leslie H. Gelb, and Stephen Biddle

Can anything — international mediation, regional collaboration, decentralization, or constitutional negotiations — save Iraq from a full-fledged civil war and the Bush administration from a foreign policy fiasco?

When the Shiites Rise

by Vali Nasr

By toppling Saddam Hussein, the Bush administration has liberated and empowered Iraq's Shiite majority and has helped launch a broad Shiite revival that will upset the sectarian balance in Iraq and the Middle East for years to come. This development is rattling some Sunni Arab governments, but for Washington, it could be a chance to build bridges with the region's Shiites, especially in Iran.

Present at the Stagnation

by Andrew J. Nathan

In China's Trapped Transition, Minxin Pei attempts to solve the puzzle of China's present — and figure out its future.

Previously in Background on the News

Persian Powers
June 7, 2006
Given Tehran's defiant pursuit of its nuclear program and its influence among Shiites in Iraq, how to manage relations with Iran has become a critical — and vexing — issue for Washington. To succeed, negotiations require knowing one's interlocutor, and distinguishing the posturing from the policy and the ideologues from the pragmatists in Iran is far from easy. . . . Read more

This Land is My Land
May 17, 2006
On Monday, President George W. Bush announced that in an effort to address illegal immigration into the United States he has proposed deploying thousands of National Guard troops along the Mexican border while initiating a guest worker program and a path toward legalization for some undocumented workers already in the country. The White House's plan could pit the Bush administration against Mexico and is also divisive at home, where activists on both extremes criticize its attempt to chart a middle course. . . . Read more

My Kingdom for Some Peace
May 3, 2006
After a month of daring demonstrations, Nepalese protesters, with the help of Maoist rebels, have brought King Gyanendra to his knees. Since just last week, Gyanendra has already abdicated much of his authority, agreeing to restore parliament, which has not met in four years. And the insurgents, who have been fighting a savage resistance for a decade, have declared a unilateral ceasefire, offering Nepal its first opportunity for peace and serious political reform in a long while. . . . Read more

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